Bush administration officials like to describe Iran as a country isolated from the outside world.
Its outlaw government's policies, and especially its nuclear activities, have earned it the distrust of the international community, the fear of its neighbours and, they say, the rightful label of a "rogue state".
As far as I know, Iran's government is not 'outlaw'. Just yesterday we had news of a poll of Europeans where the US was consiredered the greatest threat to international instability by more people than Iran. The people polled must not be part of the international community.
"The Fear of its neighbours"? Iran is engaging in cross-border cooperation with Turkey, talks about oil pipelines with Russia, and vying for admission into the SCO. Granted, secular Iraqis (who are now an endangered species) are probably rightly afraid of Iran, but the same cannot be said of the religious Shia parties who dominate the Iraqi government...
Sigh... \end{deconstruction} guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper
"Shanghai was a big success," Dr Karimi said. "All our neighbours support our [nuclear] policy, even Mubarak. We are successful in building up relations. That is why the American position is changing ... They thought we were encircled because of Iraq and Afghanistan. But we're not. That's why they want to talk to us now."
